


Broken Seals

by Centeris2



Category: Star Stable, Starshine Legacy (Video Games)
Genre: Explicit Language, also some hitting, things get heated and there are nasty names thrown around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-08 03:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15234210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centeris2/pseuds/Centeris2
Summary: After the soul riders broke their seals in Pandoria to defeat Garnok they find friendship isn't so easy.Meant to explain some of the retconning between SSL and SSO.





	1. Chapter 1

Saving the world is no easy feat, and for the four soul riders and their steeds there was a sense of whiplash. Returning to ‘normal’ was not an option, not after everything they had witnessed. For Lisa, there was no ‘normal’ Jorvik life to return to, her entire time in Jorvik had been filled with magic and the impending sense of doom. It felt like she was starting all over again, trying to adjust to a new place once again. 

For the others tensions returned. It was easy to put aside differences when the world was at stake, and when they only had each other to rely on, but that did not mean hatchets had been buried. Lisa was what had brought them all together, so when Lisa was exceptionally quiet for days on end at the stables the other three girls finally confronted her.

“Lisa?” Anne said loudly, annoyed she had been calling Lisa’s name several times now unnoticed. 

“Huh?” Lisa looked up from her sandwich, not that she had really seen it in over the past few minutes she had been staring at her hands. 

“Eesh, finally,” Anne muttered, insulted.

“Interesting sandwich?” Alex asked, nudging Lisa with her elbow.

“Oh, yeah,” Lisa murmured, starting to zone out again.

“So what’s on your mind?” Anne said loudly once more, trying to get an answer out of Lisa.

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” Lisa returned to looking at her sandwich. 

“The sandwich can’t be that interesting!” Anne snapped.

“Just… been thinking…”

“Yeah and not talking to us at all… is it Josh?” Alex teased, nudging Lisa again.

“Josh? No, not him…” Lisa bit her lip, reluctant to talk about what she had been thinking about for the past few days.

“Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, I have things to do-” Anne stood up from where they were sitting at a picnic table until Alex latched onto her arm and pulled her back down.

“Hey!” Anne shouted in surprise.

“You can go without doing your make up for 10 minutes! Your friend needs you!” Alex snapped, Anne baring her teeth in anger.

“I’m not going to check my make up! And even if I was who cares? Lisa doesn’t want to talk about it right now!” Anne snarled back.

“Well we all know you aren’t going to do homework or do chores, so what else could it-”

“I’m auditioning at Star Academy,” Lisa’s voice stopped Alex and made the two blondes look at her.

“What!? Why!” Alex demanded, upset that Lisa would want to leave.

“I’ll still see you guys at the stable… and that’s assuming I even get in!” Lisa pointed out.

“But why?” Alex asked again.

“Good for you! You really enjoy music!” Anne spoke over Alex, making Alex glare at her.

“Linda!” Alex nudged Linda under the table, “say something!”

“What?” Linda asked, looking up from her book.

“Did you not hear anything Lisa just said?” Alex grumbled.

“I was reading,” Linda muttered, shutting her book purposefully and setting it down. 

“I’m auditioning at Star Academy,” Lisa repeated.

“Good luck!” Linda chirped making Alex groan.

“What? You don’t have a problem with it?” Alex demanded, making Linda look at her inquisitively.

“Why would I? It’s Lisa’s life,” Linda asked.

“Because she’ll be leaving us!” 

“I’m right here,” Lisa muttered, crossing her arms and not appreciating how Alex was talking like she wasn’t there.

“Will you still come to Jorvik Stables? Or will you move Starshine to another stable?” Linda asked Lisa.

“I’d just keep him at Jorvik Stables, no reason to move him,” Lisa said with a shrug.

“See? Lisa is not leaving us,” Linda gestured, giving Alex a pointed look, “no reason to freak out.”

“But… it won’t be- ugh, nevermind,” Alex grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning away, glaring at a spot in the grass.

“What?” Lisa demanded.

“What?” Alex asked back.

“Why don’t you want me to do what I love?” when Lisa phrased it like that it made Alex feel guilty, but she was already on the defensive.

“It has nothing to do with that! We’re supposed to be together, you know, friends forever united in protecting the world!” Alex explained.

“How is Lisa going to a different school going to ruin that?” Anne demanded to know before adding, “besides, we already saved the world. Our job is done.”

“We don’t know that!” Alex protested.

“Every 100 years, that’s what Fripp said,” Linda interjected, reaching for her book.

“What Linda said, and Anne said, the world is saved. Can’t we just move on now?” Lisa asked, Alex pouting.

“What if something happens? Mr. Sands came back after just a few weeks, maybe they’ll come back sooner than 100 years-” Alex pointed out but was cut off by Lisa.

“So we’re just supposed to wait around until we die!? I don’t want to do that! I want to move on! I want to forget how I nearly died the first day I got here! How crazy evil monsters tried to kill us and destroy everything! We’re teenagers we should be worried about acne and homework not getting kidnapped and murdered!” Lisa finally let it out, the other girls looking awkwardly at each other.

“But that’s why we have to stay together, we’re friends! We went through hell together, we-” Alex tried to explain but Lisa cut her off again.

“Friends?! What kind of friends are we? Linda is always too busy to hang out, and you and Anne shit talk each other whenever the other isn’t around-”

“What?!” Anne and Alex declared, glaring at each other.

“You have something to say to me!?” Alex shouted, standing. Anne mirrored her, rising to the fight.

“I’ve said everything to your face!” Anne retorted.

“Well apparently not!”

“I’ve definitely called you a trash trailer park tomboy to your face,” Anne snorted, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

“Oh and that’s really the worst you’ve said about me, huh?!” Alex demanded.

“Uh, yeah, that’s the worst I’ve heard her say,” Lisa interjected, “I thought she wouldn’t say it to your face…”

“Oh… that’s… I’ve heard worse,” Alex muttered, not so angry now. At least Anne had insulted her directly, not behind her back.

“So. What have you been saying behind my back?” Anne demanded, tapping her foot.

“Uh... nothing… that bad…” Alex glanced away, feeling guilty now. 

“Ugh!” Anne threw up her hands in disgust and turned away.

“Where are you going?” Alex demanded.

“Going to powder my nose!” Anne shot back snidely.

“Friends forever, huh?” Lisa hurled the word at Alex before she too stood up to leave the picnic table.

“Lisa! We are friends- just! Anne is just like that! We just need to talk things out!” Alex begged Lisa to stay but the redhead left, leaving Linda and Alex alone.

“Oy, voice of wisdom, why didn’t you say anything?” Alex snapped at Linda, wincing at her own harsh tone. She knew her temper was part of the problem.

“Friendship is more than going through something together,” Linda pointed out, “going through the same trauma doesn’t mean our personalities are going to mesh well.”

“But Fripp said… we are all bonded together, we’re supposed to be friends…”

“And how is forcing us all together going to make us friends?” Linda asked, making Alex look down in embarrassment.

“It… are we friends?” Alex asked, quiet and shy now.

“Of course, Alex,” Linda said softly, touching Alex on the shoulder, “we’re all friends. But it’s something we all have to work on to maintain, having one experience in common is only going to do so much to keep us together.”


	2. Chapter 2

“... Yes?” the question came after a very long judging glare, the butler clearly not impressed by Alex.

“I’m uh, a friend of Anne’s, I was wondering if she was home? I, uh, have some notes she left at school?” Alex tried not to grimace at how obvious her lie was.

“I can take it to Miss von Blyssen,” he shot out his white gloved hand for the paper.

“Oh no! I uh, want to them to her myself, if that’s okay?” Alex tried again. The butler made a rather visible and audible sniff, Alex had a feeling he was sniffing her, and finally stepped back enough to let her inside.

Ugh, rich people. 

“So I’ll just go to-”

“Stay here,” the butler said sharply before departing, leaving Alex awkwardly standing in the entrance. It probably had some fancy name that Alex couldn’t pronounce, something French probably. All the marble and artwork and flowers surely had fancy rich names.

“Oh,” Anne’s disappointed voice echoed through the hall, Anne clearly displeased to see Alex, “what do you want?”

“Uh, notes?” Alex said, Anne raising her eyebrow.

“Can we talk?” Alex sighed in defeat and admitted her purpose.

“Fine,” Anne muttered and motioned for Alex to come up the stairs and follow her down the hall, the butler watching her with a critical glare.

“Your butler is scary,” Alex muttered once she was inside Anne’s room and the door was closed.

“He takes his job seriously,” Anne offered before crossing her arms and staring Alex down.

“So? What did you want to talk about?” Anne got to the point.

“I just… wanted to apologize?” Alex winced again at her tone.

“Very sincere. What for?”

“I’m sorry for saying stuff behind your back, okay? There,” Alex said in a rush, Anne rolling her eyes.

“I feel so much better,” Anne muttered drily.

“I said sorry! You should say sorry!” Alex pointed out.

“Me? What for!”

“For saying nasty things about me!”

“I’m not sorry for that,” Anne snorted, crossing her arms.

“What! Why not?”

“Because I let you know my feelings, I didn’t hide them from you. You still haven’t told me what you said about me, you still aren’t being honest with me,” Anne demanded, angry and curious.

“Oh… uh… nothing too bad…” Alex winced.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Anne commented.

“Oh it’s all stuff you’ve heard before!” Alex tried to wave it away before she sighed, “just, like, that you’re stupid and only think about yourself, and only care about your makeup and always try to make yourself look better than you are.”

“Oh, I… figured you’d say worse to be honest,” Anne muttered, noticing Alex staring at the ground and blushing.

“Or did you?” Anne asked, Alex biting her lip and making sure she didn’t look at Anne.

“What? Did you call me a rich bitch cunt? Sleazy skank?”

“Yeah… but… I didn’t mean it?” Alex offered apologetically.

“Huh, never thought you’d be the coward,” Anne commented, making Alex snarl.

“Coward?! Who you calling a coward?” Alex demanded.

“You still won’t say it to my face,” Anne explained, not phased. 

“Say what? What I think of you? Do you really want to know what I think of you!?” Alex demanded, her voice getting louder.

“You want us to be friends, you better be able to say how you feel about me to my face,” Anne pointed out.

“Fine! I think you’re an entitled cunt who has had everything handed to her, you think you’re the hottest shit and if anything gets in your way you flirt and flash your boobs or hike up your skirt to get what you want! Hell you didn’t even have to do anything to save the world! You didn’t fight or anything! You just sat back and made some pretty portals-” Alex’s words were cut off by Anne’s backhand across her face.

“I didn’t fight?” Anne hissed, “who went up against Sands and Jessica? Oh right, that was Concorde and I, we’re the ones who kicked them into that portal. Who climbed up and down a cliff and went into another dimension to get their horse? Oh yeah, me-”

“So you say! No one was there, you really expect me to believe the Pretty Princess of Jorvik would-”

“Yes I do! I thought friends believed each other!”

“And you always lie to make yourself feel better! You’re not the most popular, you’re not the prettiest, if Jessica hadn’t turned out to be evil she would have won the modeling contract! You convinced yourself that Josh liked you when he couldn’t care less about you! Then as soon as another guy comes along you throw yourself at him to become a model!” Alex knew she needed to stop and rein herself in, she needed to stop using such disgust in her tone. Alex could see the hurt in Anne’s eyes, but Alex just kept going.

“The only reason people like you is because you’re rich! You’re just a dumb bimbo that everyone laughs at behind your back because you’re too fucking stupid to realize everyone is just using you and they’ll ditch you when they are bored of you and something better comes along!”

“At least I’ll get somewhere!” Anne shouted back, fighting back tears with anger, “I’m not going to be stuck in some shit job turning into a drunk druggie like your mother!” 

Alex decked Anne in the face, a line crossed, “don’t you fucking dare talk about my mother! She has worked and fought and earned everything unlike your mom who fucked her way into riches! At least my mother has dignity and I hope I have a fraction of her strength! You’re just going to end up in a miserable arranged marriage for your money like your mother!”

Anne said nothing, still looking away after Alex had punched her, and Alex took a moment to take a deep breath.

In the extended silence Alex continued to breath, realizing she felt better. All the nasty thoughts she had about Anne were now out in the open, and it felt… good?

“Wow… I…” Alex began to say with a smile before Anne glared at her, tears and blood running down her face.

“Get out.”

“Anne, I’m sorry, but didn’t that feel good? Now we can actually talk, sort things out, like friends-”

“I said get out!” Anne screamed, shoving Alex toward the door.

“Anne! Come on! We can talk-”

 

“Why!? So we can be ‘friends’? Why would you want to be friends with a lying dumb bimbo?! OH! So you can use me too! Of course!” Anne’s screaming got the attention of the butler, who opened the door.

“I didn’t mean that for us…” Alex protested, the butler gripping her shoulder.

“Is this person bothering you, Miss von Blyssen?” the butler asked, fingers digging in.

“Yes, get her out of here,” Anne snarled.

“Wait! Anne! We can talk about this! You just need some time to calm down! We’ll talk about this later, won’t we?” Alex shouted as she was pulled away. Anne closed the door, not bothering to watch Alex get thrown out.


	3. Chapter 3

“And then she threw me out!” Alex finished, pacing in front of Linda who was just trying to do some homework. 

“You did punch her,” Linda said, trying to be patient.

“She hit first!” Alex pointed out and Linda nodded, not sure what else to say.

“You basically went to her house to pick a fight, so… yeah? I don’t know what you expected,” Linda muttered.

“I expected her to be reasonable and let us talk it out!” Alex complained, plopping down in a chair next to Linda. Linda was glad they were the only ones in the school library, she didn’t want noise complaints against her.

“Why don’t you just give her some time to calm down?” Linda suggested.

“Yeah, I should, wait for her to get off her period or whatever…” Alex grumbled, playing with a book on the table.

“I don’t think her period is what made her mad,” Linda pointed out, eyebrow twitching as Alex messed around with the books Linda had carefully arranged on the table.

“I just don’t get it,” Alex dropped her face into her hands, groaning and shaking her head, “why would… how could Anne be the one of the soul riders? She doesn’t fit in with us at all!”

Linda looked at Alex with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t look at me like that, you know what I mean, Anne is just like other girls!”

Linda continued to stare, wanting a better explanation.

“Not that you are like other girls! Neither is Lisa! The three of us aren’t like other girls, but Anne is just so… girly!”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Linda asked, Alex swallowing hard. 

“You know… it’s all… pink and stupid… and… uh… girly?” Alex tried to explain, Linda not impressed. 

“You know, before Lisa, before we became friends, you used a similar tone in regards to nerds,” Linda noted.

“Oh but you’re not like other nerds! Like yeah you’re really smart and you read books all the time but you’re not… like… weird?” Alex was feeling more awkward with each word she said. 

“I don’t do weird things like watch anime and cosplay and write stories of my favorite shows?” Linda offered.

“Yeah! That stuff! Like you like things but you don’t get weird about it!” Alex was relieved that Linda helped her out, until Linda dug through pictures on her phone and showed Alex a picture. It was Linda, wearing a purple wig and wearing a ridiculous dress with a horn on her forehead.

“Uh…” Alex managed but had nothing else coherent to say.

“That’s me cosplaying Twilight Sparkle in her first Grand Galloping Gala outfit,” Linda explained, Alex feeling very awkward and embarrassed.

“Yeah… but you’re not… weird… about it?” Alex muttered, sinking into her chair before declaring, “I am trying to compliment you damn it! You aren’t like other nerds or other girls! That’s a good thing!”

“Thanks,” Linda didn’t sound grateful.


	4. Chapter 4

Lisa hadn’t expected a teary call from Anne, but she had listened patiently as Anne had recalled what happened with Alex.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for you two to fight like that…” Lisa admitted once Anne had calmed down and stopped talking.

“It was bound to happen, we’ve never gotten along, we’re just too different,” Anne muttered, sounding sad to Lisa.

“I mean, you guys do have a lot in common,” Lisa offered.

“Ha! Like what? Liking horses only goes so far,” Anne grumbled.

“You two are both super proud, and very protective of what you love,” Lisa pointed out.

“So we butt heads a lot because we’re prideful and love different things,” Anne retorted.

“Okay, yeah, I’m just trying to help,” Lisa muttered.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just… she was right, you know? People are only friends with me because they want something from me. Heck, the only reason we are friends is because we had to be to save the world… how fucked up is that?” Anne admitted, Lisa going quiet as she tried to think of some counterpoint.

“Yeah, but… we’re friends now, aren’t we?” Lisa managed.

“Are we?”

“Well I thought we were… you haven’t called me hedgehog girl as an insult in ages,” Lisa tried to joke and earned a chuckle from Anne.

“Yeah, true, I still don’t get your hair though. It’s like anime hair,” Anne smiled when Lisa chuckled on the line.

“I don’t know, girl, it just sections off like that,” Lisa was glad Anne was talking about trivial things.

“It just feels forced, you know? Like it felt so natural, we got along so well when everything was happening, but now that it’s over… it can’t go back to how things were, I was such a bitch, but…” Anne trailed off.

“You don’t want to remember,” Lisa filled in for Anne.

“I keep having nightmares,” Anne whispered, relieved and sad when Lisa continued for her.

“The darkness swallowing you up, your horse screaming as it drowns,” Lisa guessed. She had the same dream.

“Yeah, and… seeing you guys…”

“Makes it worse,” there was a silence after Lisa finished Anne’s sentence.

“Yeah,” Anne sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek sat across from Anne in a corner of a restaurant, notebook in hand and looking at the book Anne had brought.

“Are you sure you want to talk about this?” Derek asked again for clarification. Anne swallowed and nodded, handing over her notebook to him.

“Fripp said it happens every 100 years, there will be girls that have to do this again. Maybe… us. I don’t know exactly, it’s supposed to be us but I don’t remember. So I have to assume my future self won’t remember either, I don’t want her to be caught off guard,” Anne tried to explain as Derek thumbed through Anne’s notebook, studying the text and images. It was everything Anne remembered about what had happened, all the things she had seen in Pandoria, recreations of the glyphs and symbols and statues.

“Do you think the others will do the same?” Derek asked.

“I’m sure Linda will, assuming she doesn’t have a record already, I don’t know about Lisa or Alex. So, you said you might have questions?” she nodded toward his own notebook.

“Yeah, for my investigation,” Derek opened his notebook and retrieved his pencil, “do you want to wait until we get food?” Anne nodded, rubbing her forehead. She was going to treat herself tonight, she was going to need cake and ice cream to deal with recounting everything in detail to Derek and answering whatever additional questions he had.

 

\---

 

When Anne brought up the idea of telling Derek everything the others weren’t so sure. Alex didn’t want to say anything too negative because she was surprised Anne was even talking to her, but she didn’t like the idea of telling Derek everything.

“Derek is already investigating anyway, he is going to ask sooner or later. He’s only waited to give us time to cope, I guess,” Anne pointed out.

“But everything already happened, what’s the point of talking about it?” Lisa muttered, arms crossed.

“Maybe it can help Dark Core and Mr. Sands get taken down? They can’t operate if the government shuts them down. If not then at least what we went through will be remembered. Maybe it’ll help our future selves,” Anne tried to convince them.

“We don’t even know if we get reincarnated, maybe the images change to look like whoever are the soul riders through magic or something,” Lisa countered.

“But Fripp said it happens every 100 years, even if it isn’t some future us it’ll be someone. If you could go back to the day you came to Jorvik, if you could have known and gotten some warning, wouldn’t you want it?” Anne asked Lisa directly.

“I wouldn’t mind reading your accounts, especially since you said you included drawings of what you saw in Pandoria,” Linda admitted.

“Derek would collaborate with you on that,” Anne promised, looking back at Lisa for her answer.

“I just…” Lisa trailed off, Anne taking her hands.

“I know, just write it out, write out everything, and then never think of it again,” Anne told the redhead. Lisa took a deep breath.

“I’ll think about it,” Lisa muttered.

“Thank you,” Anne let go and looked at Alex properly for the first time.

“I just don’t trust him,” Alex muttered, arms crossed. 

“He is already involved, he knows everything, it’s not like you can hide Tincan’s true form now. Derek found out about Tincan’s horn before any of us,” Anne pointed out, Alex pouting and looked at her feet.

“Fine,” Anne grumbled, “Alex, you needed knowledge before you could go into battle with Katja and Buck. This is your chance to write a warning to the future Lightning Soul Rider. What would have been good to know before all of this started? Maybe like how Katja can control minds with physical contact?”

“Ugh, fine,” Alex snapped, throwing up her hands in defeat, “I’ll tell Derek everything I remember. Happy?”

“Yes, thank you,” Anne said sincerely, surprising Alex.


	6. Chapter 6

Derek, and Linda, were thrilled to have all four accounts. 

Lisa turned to her music, and Linda to her studies, and Anne focused on her dressage. Alex tried to keep them all together, and they humored her by continuing weekly lunches together. To Alex’s horror the other three seemed fine with drifting apart and going their own ways. Unfortunately, her attempts to remedy what she saw as a problem only brought out their clashing personalities, all four girls strong leaders in their own right, none of them wanted to be forced into anything.

Lisa found that her nightmares decreased as she focused on her music and attending Star Academy, and that relief made music all the more enveloping. Music helped her process and heal, from her mother, from the move, from saving the world. The friends she made through music didn’t make her remember the trauma and pain, and so she drifted into her new friend circle.

Linda sought to cope through understanding and so she read and researched and did everything she could to uncover what had happened to the soul riders of the past. The more she learned the more she could help the future soul riders end the threat of Garnok once and for all. Plus any information she turned up on Mr. Sands could help Derek’s investigation, and the government could no doubt throw some wrenches into Dark Core’s operations as a business.

Anne’s dressage and modeling took off, thanks to Derek’s photography and constant practice with Concorde. To Anne’s surprise she found herself missing school as she traveled. The snide and demeaning comments from coworkers in the modeling industry wore Anne down, the constant reminder that she wasn’t smart discouraging her. Linda sent Anne a copy of Legally Blonde and a note of encouragement, and a movie night and many tears later Anne was arranging for tutors and classes, determined to prove everyone who had insulted her intelligence wrong. The nightmares stayed away when she kept herself busy.

The weekly lunches shifted to every two weeks, then every month, then less often than that. Alex hated how their contact and friendship degraded to the occasion text or social media message. She felt as though somehow they had lost, like Dark Core had won because the Soul Riders had not kept together. And it was isolating, left with no one who could really understand what she had been through. Alex didn’t understand how the others could just bury everything and move on, how they could want to move on. Didn’t their friendship mean anything? It had been beautiful, a wonderful thing that had been born and forged in fire and pain. It was their symbol of victory and now…

Now Alex only had Linda left. 

So Alex coped on her own, returning to the Secret Stone Circle to speak to Fripp again and again, desperate to know when Garnok was returning. Was it possible Dark Core would return sooner? Was there a way to destroy them for good? A way to end it all? Alex hated the idea of future generations going through the same war over and over again, there had to be a way to end it, and she would find a way.

 

\---

 

Fripp sat in the Stone Circle on a perch, looking at Elizabeth.

“We were lucky this time,” Elizabeth muttered, “they were able to do it on their own.”

“Alex remains interested in learning more, she wants to end this,” Fripp informed the druid.

“Doesn’t she always?” Elizabeth offered the blue squirrel a smile.

“She would make a good druid,” Fripp acknowledged before adding, “what of the measurements?”

“Not good,” Elizabeth admitted, “there is no examples in the records of Pandoria being so active after the Soul Riders’ defeat Garnok. Not like this,” Elizabeth showed the energy readings she had recorded to Fripp.

“It isn’t… unprecedented,” Fripp commented, “but it has not happened since Aideen walked with us.”

“What does it mean?” Elizabeth asked, worried.

“It means we must prepare, you must meet Alex,” Fripp decided. 

Alex was caught off guard by a woman waiting for her at the Secret Stone Ring along with Fripp. She introduced herself as Elizabeth, as a druid and Keeper of Aideen. Alex was less than pleased to find out Fripp had more secrets, including an entire organization that could have helped the soul riders defeat Garnok. 

“If you knew why didn’t you warn us! Why didn’t you find us and tell us ‘oh by the way stay away from these three girls they are actually evil!’ That would have been great to know!” Alex stormed.

“It was not necessary for us to intervene,” Elizabeth said gently.

“We’re just kids! We could have lost! I could have lost my brother! We could have used all the help we could get and you just… left us!” Alex did not calm down, furious until Fripp landed on her forehead, smacking a small hand against her skin.

Alex froze, eyes going blank. Tincan reared up, bellowing a battle cry to defend his rider.

“Right,” Fripp muttered, knowing he had to remove Tincan’s protection.

“On it,” Elizabeth cast a simple wall around Tincan, enough to trap the horse long enough for Fripp to jump, striking Tincan between the eyes. There was a flash and scream of pain, a shattering echoing through Elizabeth’s mind. Tincan dropped to the ground, unconscious, Alex on the ground as well, hand on her forehead.

“Trust will be easier to establish if they’ve know you all along,” Fripp explained and returned to Alex. Elizabeth nodded and approached the fallen girl staring blankly at the sky as she cried in pain.

“Hello Alex, I am Elizabeth, I helped you understand your powers and introduced you to Tincan…”

 

\---

 

The stories of the soul riders changed, they now remembered the druids being with them every step of the way. Alex went to Valedale regularly, hadn’t she always? Anne exchanged letters with Elizabeth, they were both Sun Circle after all, they always talked about the finer points of Sun magic. Linda and Avalon met regularly to discuss books, just like always. Lisa found herself exceptionally self conscious of her birthmark, why wasn’t it a five point star like her symbol? It was a stupid four point star, a botched marking that should have been a perfect five point star. The druids reassured her that it was normal for Star Circle members to be born with different numbers of points. Lisa found comfort in their words, after all they had guided the soul riders this far, why wouldn’t Lisa trust them?

Derek said nothing, knowing something was wrong when Anne began to speak of people she had never mentioned before. He knew whatever force had gotten into the soul riders’ and soul horses’ minds would easily be able to erase his mind as well. So he hid the accounts of the soul riders, knowing they would be important, and did what he could to watch over the soul riders.

But he couldn’t protect Anne in France, or Lisa, or Linda. One by one they vanished, and Derek had no idea what to do.

And then, one day, a new girl arrived in Jorvik.


End file.
